Job Offer withdrawn after informing employer that I am pregnant.

[Char1997]

Hi all,

I originally posted this on as a pregnancy thread. As the situation has evolved I have been advised to post on here. I was offered a job yesterday afternoon and although I know I was under no obligation to inform them, I told the employer that I was expecting in December. Since then I have had the job offer withdrawn as they felt that I “misled them” and wasn’t honest. Is anyone able to give me some advice if I were to take this further.

Not only have you got a fucking bent husband and a fucking daughter that gets taken to school in a fucking sedan chair, you're also fucking mental. Jesus Christ, see you, you are a fucking omnishambles, that's what you are. You're like that coffee machine, you know: from bean to cup, you fuck up.

— Malcolm Tucker to Nicola Murray

The quote from The Thick of It in it's full glory! ^

Thank you both. I will be using the word as much as possible!

Sorry for derailing the thread OP!

haha no worries! love the word!

Awesome, I never watched the Thick of It, just knew the word!

(I work in an industry where the word ‘omnichannel’ keeps coming up and I struggle not to use omnishambles, every time.)

I’m new to this thread but as someone who was sacked for being pregnant many years ago, I’m right behind you OP. I won, by the way -my solicitor wrote to them to get the ball rolling, and they caved at that stage (having erroneously thought I wouldn’t take legal action, I suspect).

I do feel like I need some advice on the likeliness of me winning this case etc. I feel at the moment i’d be happy to represent myself if this went further but my boyfriend isn’t too happy about the idea considering if it happens before christmas eve i’ll be very very pregnant!😂 I’ve submitted the employment tribunal claim which can take 25 days to get to them and from then it takes a further 28 days for them to consider settling again/seek legal advice (this is what i’ve been told by my acas conciliator) this whole situation is so bizarre to me I don’t like asking for money and i’ve never been that person but I just do not feel I can let her get away with it!

You being super pregnant will look great in court!

As a PP said regardless of whether they had given you an offer or not (they so had!!) they’ve still admitted discrimination so they’re up shit creek.

Will be delighted to hear you report back about this!

Have you spoken to a solicitor at all? I would begin with having at least an initial conversation with one to get an idea of what support they can give you, likelihood of winning, costs etc. Doesn't mean you have to commit to using them.
I think it would take away a lot of stress and pressure to pay them for the responsibility. I never got to that stage though so not sure how much it costs.

Have you checked if you have legal cover on your house insurance? You might be able to use it (Sorry if you mentioned previously, I can't remember).

I’ve sat through many employment tribunals and these judges quite easily cut through the bullshit. They’d see this company for what it is. With regard to the likely pay out, it’s never massive IMO but the judgement will be made public so everyone else will know exactly what they are like so you’d be doing a real service to women’s employment rights, if that’s any kind of driver to you.

I suspect they’ll eventually take some decent legal advice (it doesn’t sound like they have yet) and will settle out of court.

Good luck op

Good luck OP. I'd ask around and see how much it's likely to cost. But I'd say you come across as confident, articulate and intelligent and shouldn't have a problem speaking for yourself.

@Char1997 here are a few facts for you:

www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/

Helpline 0808 800 0082

^ check out the EASS website, it has a good section with general info on pg as a protected characteristic.

Fact is, they cannot accuse you of dishonesty for not discussing your pregnancy if you are still >15 weeks from your due date. Shows how archaic their knowledge is as an employer. It should have no bearing on whether you are the right person for the job. They are living in the dark ages, and their attitude is decades behind the law.

EHRC research shows that six in ten employers think that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant during the recruitment process. 50% of those interviewed believe it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children during the recruitment process.

In one sense you have made a lucky escape. Imagine working for this company, if they breach EqA legislation now, they are likely to be practicing discrimination against their employees.

Equality Advisory and Support Service is a free government-funded helpline, so give them a call for a chat, as they can give you specific guidance about your Claim and likelihood of success at Tribunal. As Tribunal is now fee-free, you have nothing to lose at this stage, and it could force the company to have to compensate you to avoid them incurring the cost and reputational damage of tribunal.

Sorry, practising not practicing

Good luck OP I hope it works out well for you

Good luck @Char1997, I hope they realise you’re serious and settle before tribunal stage.

Just read the thread. Thanks for fighting for women everywhere op. It's amazing what you're doing. I imagine your future DC will be pretty proud one day when you tell them this story.

I'm an employment lawyer OP and will help you take these cowboys to the cleaners for free, please DM me x

@daisychain01 oh thank you so much had no idea about this service! will definitely look into it!

@mrssillysausage wow that is so lovely of you!

The solidarity and support being given on this thread is wonderful. Yay ladies of mumsnet!

Very best of luck OP, and thank you for fighting!

Just a little update. I’ve looked to see if I would qualify for CLA and looks like I will and have arranged for them to call me on Monday morning. I am going to also ring Equality Advisory on Monday and see where I stand!
Obviously still unemployed and the thought of losing this case in court (if it gets that far) fills me with so much fear as me and partner are trying our hardest to save as much as we can for baby! 13 weeks to go until my due date so not long left!

Fingers crossed this works in my favour, keep thinking it over and I am really angry with this woman🤦🏻‍♀️

Wishing you the best of luck OP. You've got this!

Late to the party but wishing you all the best. The only nugget of advice I can give is to try not to let the stress affect you too much!

Good luck with this OP, and thank you for taking on the fight. My friend had an offer of employment cancelled after she revealed she was pregnant. She had been to their head office abroad to meet the board of directors (she was to be a UK director) and been announced to what was to be her team. She got a small out of court payout with a non disclosure clause. I thought she should have fought harder but the cost and effort were too much for her (she did not have all the offers of assistance and advice you have here, and tried to go just through a solicitor.)

The worst thing about her situation? The company was a baby food company. A big, well known one. She could have hung them out to dry!